The invention relates to a method for producing and operating an electroplating bath. Such baths are used, for example, for manufacturing masters or matrices used in the manufacture of phonographic discs.
One difficult problem which arises during the operation of various types of electroplating baths is that the electro-deposited metal is deposited from the bath in a relatively hard, that is, brittle, condition and in a state of high tensile stress, and in such a state the electrodeposited metal has a tendency to crack or peel away from the basic metal on which it is deposited. Generally, each electroplating bath must be operated and maintained within prescribed limits for the particular bath being used, and the above problem is particularly apparent when one or more recommended tolerance conditions for the bath are exceeded, for example, if certain temperature and pH values are not maintained. Other factors which are known to affect stress are current density, solution composition and contaminants. During operation of the bath, the conditions of the bath generally change, and the result of the changes is that the quality of the bath generally is impaired and the bath has to be discarded. Electroplating baths containing sulfamate ions, such as those used for electrodepositing nickel, are particularly susceptible to changing conditions and give rise to tension stressed electrodeposits.